The hand tools used to make musical instruments have changed little over the centuries. In fact, the tools used by the great Maler, Tieffenbrucker, Frei, Stradivari and Amati are very similar to those used today. I enjoy working with high quality hand tools, taking good care of them and understanding their idiosyncrasies. They help me achieve a high level of precision that is not possible with power tools. The main hand tools are hand planes of various types and sizes, chisels and scrapers.

I have also made some of these tools myself for very specific tasks related to lute making.

I use only the most basic machines to help build my instruments, and only in the first stages of construction. Their chief use is to cut large boards or plates into smaller, more manageable pieces, which then form the rough parts of the instruments. A band saw is usually used for this task. Another essential machine is the lathe, which is used to make the  pegs.